SA union bosses close ranks and defy minister

CAPE TOWN - Warring factions in the South African Rugby Union (SARU) made a surprise about-turn on Thursday, presenting a united front to defy a call from the minister of sport to step down by the end of the day.

Saru president Brian van Rooyen's deputies Andre Markgraaff and Mike Stofile withdrew their resignations and closed ranks with Van Rooyen, defying a directive from the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) to leave the way clear for fresh union elections.

Stofile's brother, Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile, had also backed the directive from Sascoc, which said senior officers should not stand for re-election on June 17 -- until when Saru's affairs would be managed by a Sascoc-appointed committee.

But after Markgraaff and Mike Stofile's dramatic U-turn, Van Rooyen insisted they would keep control of Saru, and said the June 17 elections would no longer take place.

"The day to day management of Saru will continue to be performed by the management committee under the supervision of the president's council," Van Rooyen stated.

Until Thursday's rapprochement, Van Rooyen had been at odds with his senior Saru colleagues and government alike in a row over the pace of racial transformation in rugby. The row spiralled with Markgraaff accusing Van Rooyen of mismanagement.

But Markgraaff said on Thursday he would no longer be bringing mismanagement charges against Van Rooyen, although these would be dealt with "internally, within Saru structures, by Saru's attorneys".

Safcoc President Moss Mashishi welcomed the "reconciliation" and said his organisation's executive would meet on Friday to discuss the matter.

The dispute stemmed from Saru's announcement in mid-April that it would award South Africa's fifth franchise in next year's new Super 14 competition, the expanded Super 12 series, to the traditionally conservative, white-led central unions led by Free State rather than Eastern Cape, the home of black rugby.

But Van Rooyen said on Thursday that the fifth Super 14 franchise would not be named before June 8, when the president's council would meet to discuss all the proposals.

- REUTERS